Poll: Christie made bad bet in AC

Jun. 17, 2013

Written by

Jean Mikle

Gannett New Jersey

Most Garden State residents think casino gambling in Atlantic City has been good for New Jersey, but a majority also believe Gov. Chris Christie has made a bad bet by increasing the state’s involvement in efforts to revitalize the resort’s economy.

Sixty-four percent of New Jerseyans said gambling has been good for the Garden State, while only 25 percent said its had a negative impact, according to a Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press poll released Monday.

Just under half (46 percent) of those polled believe Atlantic City is better off now than it would have been if casino gambling had not been introduced in 1978, compared to 18 percent who said the resort city is worse off today.

But 52 percent of residents do not agree with the state government’s increasingly active role in attempts to improve Atlantic City’s economy, while 42 percent approve.

“I think the governor is a little ignorant in this area,” Barnegat resident William Coleman said. “He’s trying to preserve Atlantic City as it was, rather than as it is today.”

Coleman, 75, said he has reduced his trips to the seaside resort in part because so many casinos have eliminated their simulcasting of horse races, which he likes to bet on. Only five of the 12 Atlantic City casinos still offer simulcasting areas.

Coleman said he can bet the races online, at Monmouth Park, or at off-track wagering locations. “I think the environment down there is getting a bit shoddy,” Coleman said. “You can’t go anywhere other than the boardwalk, even in the daytime, and feel safe.”

The poll found Atlantic City is viewed by New Jersey residents as a good — not great — destination for a visit or vacation.

Forty-two percent of residents said there isn’t enough to do in Atlantic City besides gambling. Like Coleman, 40 percent of those polled said they don’t visit the city more often because the boardwalk and non-casino areas appear run down. Thirty-three percent avoid the city because they fear becoming a crime victim.

“The poll results suggest that many New Jersey gamblers do not see Atlantic City as an exceptional destination compared to casinos elsewhere,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “And without this star quality, it becomes even harder to attract out-of-state gamblers since they can find similar options closer to home.”

Only about one-third of those polled said they had visited an Atlantic City casino in the past year, down from a high of 47 percent in 1986. Nearly 40 percent said they visit the city less often than they did a few years ago.

Neighboring states like Pennsylvania have siphoned off a big chunk of Atlantic City’s business. Eighteen percent of New Jerseyans said they have visited a gambling destination in a nearby state during the past year, while 11 percent have gambled in both Atlantic City and a nearby state in the past year.

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